Ministry of Justice (Israel) facts for kids
| משרד המשפטים | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1948 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Israel |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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The Justice Ministry (also called Misrad HaMishpatim in Hebrew) is a very important part of the Israeli government. It's like the main office that makes sure Israel's legal system works properly. This means it helps with laws, courts, and making sure justice is served for everyone.
Contents
History of the Justice Ministry
The Justice Ministry started in 1948, right when Israel became a country. Back then, it was part of the first temporary government. The very first minister in charge was Pinchas Rosen. At the beginning, he had only three people working with him!
Building Israel's Legal System
The first big job for the ministry was to keep the legal system running. This was tricky because many British and Arab judges had left. So, the ministry needed to find new judges for the courts. The first judges for Israel's highest court, the Supreme Court, were approved in July 1948.
Another key goal was to create new Israeli laws. Before Israel became a country, it used old Ottoman and British laws. The ministry wanted to make laws that fit the new country. It took a long time to fully change these laws. For example, some British laws were used until 1980. Even today, some laws from the time before Israel became a country are still used, or new versions of them. The very last Ottoman law, called the Majela, was removed in 1984.
Growing the Ministry
By 1949, the Justice Ministry had grown a lot. It had three main parts:
- A department for giving legal advice.
- A department for creating new laws.
- A department for representing the government in court.
The ministry also had other important offices, like those dealing with land records and public property. By this time, about 506 people worked there. In April 1949, some of these important offices moved to Jerusalem.
List of Justice Ministers
The Justice Minister (called Sar HaMishpatim in Hebrew) is the main leader of the ministry. Unlike some other government jobs, there has never been a Deputy Justice Minister. Below is a list of the people who have served as Justice Minister since Israel was founded.
| # | Minister | Party | Government | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pinchas Rosen | Progressive Party | P, 1, 2 | 14 May 1948 | 8 October 1951 | |
| 2 | Dov Yosef | Mapai | 3 | 8 October 1951 | 25 June 1952 | |
| 3 | Haim Cohn | Not an MK | 3 | 25 June 1952 | 24 December 1952 | |
| – | Pinchas Rosen | Progressive Party | 4, 5, 6, 7 | 24 December 1952 | 13 February 1956 | |
| 4 | David Ben-Gurion | Mapai | 7 | 13 February 1956 | 28 February 1956 | Serving Prime Minister |
| – | Pinchas Rosen | Progressive Party, Liberal Party | 7, 8, 9 | 28 February 1956 | 2 November 1961 | |
| – | Dov Yosef | Mapai | 10, 11, 12 | 2 November 1961 | 12 January 1966 | |
| 5 | Ya'akov Shimshon Shapira | Mapai | 13, 14, 15 | 12 January 1966 | 13 June 1972 | |
| – | Ya'akov Shimshon Shapira | Mapai | 15 | 12 September 1972 | 1 November 1973 | |
| 6 | Haim Yosef Zadok | Alignment | 16, 17 | 10 March 1974 | 20 June 1977 | |
| 7 | Menachem Begin | Likud | 18 | 20 June 1977 | 24 October 1977 | Serving Prime Minister |
| 8 | Shmuel Tamir | Democratic Movement for Change | 18 | 20 June 1977 | 5 August 1980 | |
| 9 | Moshe Nissim | Likud | 18, 19, 20, 21 | 13 August 1980 | 16 April 1986 | |
| 10 | Yitzhak Moda'i | Likud | 21 | 16 April 1986 | 23 July 1986 | |
| 11 | Avraham Sharir | Likud | 21, 22 | 30 July 1986 | 22 December 1988 | |
| 12 | Dan Meridor | Likud | 23, 24 | 22 December 1988 | 13 July 1992 | |
| 13 | David Libai | Labor | 25, 26 | 13 July 1992 | 18 June 1996 | |
| 14 | Yaakov Neeman | Not an MK | 27 | 18 June 1996 | 10 August 1996 | |
| 15 | Benjamin Netanyahu | Likud | 27 | 18 June 1996 | 4 September 1996 | Serving Prime Minister |
| 16 | Tzachi Hanegbi | Likud | 27 | 4 September 1996 | 6 July 1999 | |
| 17 | Yossi Beilin | One Israel | 28 | 6 July 1999 | 7 March 2001 | |
| 18 | Meir Sheetrit | Likud | 29 | 7 March 2001 | 28 February 2003 | |
| 19 | Tommy Lapid | Shinui | 30 | 28 February 2003 | 4 December 2004 | |
| 20 | Tzipi Livni | Likud, Kadima | 30 | 5 December 2004 | 4 May 2006 | |
| 21 | Haim Ramon | Kadima | 31 | 4 May 2006 | 22 August 2006 | |
| – | Meir Sheetrit | Kadima | 31 | 23 August 2006 | 29 November 2006 | acting |
| – | Tzipi Livni | Kadima | 31 | 29 November 2006 | 7 February 2007 | |
| 22 | Daniel Friedmann | Not an MK | 31 | 7 February 2007 | 31 March 2009 | |
| – | Yaakov Neeman | Not an MK | 32 | 31 March 2009 | 18 March 2013 | |
| – | Tzipi Livni | Hatnuah | 33 | 18 March 2013 | 4 December 2014 | |
| 23 | Ayelet Shaked | The Jewish Home, New Right | 34 | 14 May 2015 | 2 June 2019 | |
| 24 | Amir Ohana | Likud | 34 | 5 June 2019 | 17 May 2020 | |
| 25 | Avi Nissenkorn | Israel Resilience Party, Blue and White | 35 | 17 May 2020 | 1 January 2021 | |
| – | Benny Gantz | Israel Resilience Party, Blue and White | 35 | 1 January 2021 | 1 April 2021 | acting |
| 26 | Benny Gantz | Israel Resilience Party, Blue and White | 35 | 28 April 2021 | 13 June 2021 | |
| 27 | Gideon Sa'ar | New Hope | 36 | 13 June 2021 | 29 December 2022 | |
| 28 | Yariv Levin | Likud | 37 | 29 December 2022 |
See also
- Justice ministry
- Politics of Israel
